The present invention relates to optical communications systems and, more specifically, to control systems for the control and management of optical functions in optical devices.
The recent growth in telecommunications, spurred by the development and spread of the Internet, has led to increasing reliance on optical networks. The networks are being transformed from fixed, static configurations towards reconfigurable, dynamic rings and meshes. The innovation in the fiber optic component technology has also brought many promising controllable devices, such as filters, switches, and variable attenuators, to the market. System manufacturers are actively seeking to integrate both new and legacy fiber optic components into their networking systems. However, one problem with such networks is the long and expensive development cycle involved in integrating these optical devices into their networks. The reason for this cycle is in the nature of the optical devices. To be controlled, these hardware devices need electronics and software. A large effort, with its attendant costs, is therefore required to integrate the hardware optical devices with the electronics and the software before the optical devices can be turned into ready to plug-in line cards or subsystems.
The current practice in the industry is such that the optical subsystem is always designed around the optical device itself. As an example, if a new optical amplifier subsystem is required, the design begins with the choice of specific hardware and software required to drive the particular optical amplifier device. If technology develops and the chosen Erbium doped optical amplifier needs to be replaced with a semiconductor based optical amplifier, then both the hardware and the software have to be completely redesigned to work with the new amplifier.
Clearly this approach is problematic since replacement of the optical device will require a complete overhaul, redesign, and development of the control subsystem. This adds to the development cost and time for the optical device. It is also no guarantee that the subsystem control card will properly work with the system control card. Each optical device manufacturer currently supports its own control interface and its own standards of controlling its optical device.
From the above, what is required is a common and universal control system for the control and management of optical functions. The control system should include both the hardware and the software required to control different optical devices. The control system should also be able to control and manage different optical devices and resources without extensive redesign and reengineering. What is needed is a different type of system architecture that can be utilized to standardize control subsystems in the optical device industry. Such an architecture would decrease the development cost and time for optical devices.
The present invention meets the above need by providing an architecture for use in controlling and managing optical functions and optical devices. A common microprocessor based control layer coordinates commands between optical devices and a user station. The control layer executes an operating system which handles data flow in the control layer. Generic commands from the user station causes the operating system to call specific subroutines to produce digital commands. These digital commands are then passed to a digital layer that interfaces with an analog layer. The analog layer is specifically developed to interface and work with a specific optical device. The analog layer thus directly controls the optical device including changing its settings based on input from the digital layer.
The present invention provides a control system for use in controlling at least one optical device in an optical network, with each optical device being coupled to the control system through an analog based interface. The control system comprises a microprocessor based control layer and a digital layer coupled to said control layer. The digital layer receives digital commands from the control layer for conversion and transmission to the analog based interface. The control layer receives instructions from a remote user station for controlling the optical device. Each analog based interface is specifically constructed and designed to function with a specific optical device and the control layer and the digital layer are each capable of functioning with any optical device. The control layer executes a control program. The control program comprises: a plurality of optical function modules each function module being specific to an optical function performed by an optical device, an access module for receiving instructions from the user station, a digital layer for producing digital commands based on an input from at least one of the optical function modules, and a command module for receiving instructions from the access module and for causing the execution of at least one of the function modules based on the instructions such that execution of a function module produces the digital commands from the digital layer.
In another aspect, the invention provides an article of manufacture. The article comprises computer readable media containing computer readable and executable code for use in controlling at least one optical device based on instructions received from a remote user station. The code has a plurality of optical function modules, each function module being specific to an optical function performed by an optical device, an access module for receiving the instructions from the user station, a digital layer for producing digital commands based on an input from at least one of optical function modules, a command module for receiving instructions from the access module and for causing the execution of at least one of the function modules based on the instructions such that execution of a function module produces the digital commands from the digital layer.
Another aspect of the invention provides a computer system for controlling at least one optical device. The system comprises a central processing unit (CPU), a communications interface for transmitting and receiving messages to and from a user terminal, said communications interface being coupled to said central processing unit, a memory storage means for storing computer readable and computer executable code, said memory storage means being coupled to said CPU, and a plurality of I/O (input/output) ports, each port being for interfacing with an optical device, each of said I/O ports being coupled to said CPU. The computer readable and computer executable code having:
a plurality of optical function modules, each function module being specific to an optical function performed by an optical device;
an access module for transmitting and receiving said messages from said user station;
a digital layer for producing digital commands based on an input from at least one of said optical function modules;
a command module for receiving said messages from said access module and for causing the execution of at least one of said function modules based on said messages such that execution of a function module produces said digital commands from said digital layer.
A further aspect of the invention provides a method of communicating between a user terminal and a control system controlling at least one optical device. The method comprises:
a) creating a datagram at a source, said datagram having:
a source address field;
a source field denoting an address of a source optical device;
a destination field denoting an address of a destination optical device;
a system overhead field containing data;
a command field containing an indication of at least one step to be executed regarding said data
b) transmitting said datagram to a destination
c) extracting said data at said source, and
e) initiating said at least one step.
The datagram is used internally by the control system to communicate between different modules in the control system.
Another aspect of the invention provides a datagram for use in communicating between a user terminal and a control system controlling at least one optical device. The datagram contains a source address field, a source field denoting an address of a source optical device, a destination field denoting an address of a destination optical device, a system overhead field containing data, and a command field containing an indication of at least one step to be executed regarding said data where the datagram is used internally by the control system to communicate between different modules in the control system.
In another aspect, the invention provides a communications signal transmitted between a user terminal and a control system for controlling at least one optical device. The signal has encoded thereon a datagram containing a source address field, a source field denoting an address of a source optical device, a destination field denoting an address of a destination optical device, a system overhead field containing data, and a command field containing an indication of at least one step to be executed regarding said data.